How Skateboarding Changed Popular Culture | Music, fashion, gaming, + TV were all effected
Today more than ever the vice grip of skateboardings influence can be felt across fashion, music, and popular culture in general. It’s been like this for a few decades now as this article looks back on.
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Despite the success of these brands and their role in promoting skate-wear, the appropriation has been unappreciated by some. As professional skater John Rattray has said, “There’s a lot of cultural heritage surrounding skateboarding with those old graphics… If skating has given you some respite from a shi**y life, then there’s a lot of emotional connection to that stuff that can be taken for granted or overlooked by people who don’t skate.”
More bluntly, editor of Thrasher magazine Jake Phelps famously lashed out at both Justin Bieber and Rihanna for wearing Thrasher branded clothing, saying “We don’t send boxes to Justin Bieber or Rihanna or those f**king clowns. The pavement is where the real s**t is.”
Phelps later clarified his comments suggesting celebrities who wear the brand don’t know what it is, only wearing the clothes because they are stylish. Despite Phelps’ reservations, it is clear the adoption of skate fashion is now overwhelmingly widespread, with skater influenced clothing worn by a huge variety of people and occasionally even a few who skate while wearing them.
Click to SBS for a brief look at how skateboarding forever changed popular culture
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